After working out the details with Savant, I don't return immediately. Instead, I move to my room, where I sit down and enter my mental space.
Whitey waits there, as he always does. This time, he chooses one of these enormous salt mines we have on Earth. The air is thick with the sharp, dry scent of salt that clings to the throat with every breath. Massive pillars of untouched rock salt stretch toward a ceiling lost in darkness, supporting the vast, excavated chambers. The walls glisten in the dim artificial light. Their rough, uneven surfaces carved by years of work and the passage of machinery.
Distant machinery hums, alongside the steady grind of drills and conveyor belts echoing through the tunnels, even though I'm sure there’s no one here, outside the two of us. And every now and then, a faint tremor runs through the ground.
The floor is uneven, coated in fine white dust that clings to our boots and drifts lazily through the air with each step.
Whitey is currently wearing a set of work gear. Stiff coveralls coated in salt dust, heavy boots crunching against the ground, and thick gloves that seem to make everything feel just a bit clumsier. A miner’s helmet sits firm on his head, its built-in light casting a narrow beam into the darkness ahead.
And I still have the pajamas on, as for some unknown reason Whitey has decided that I won't have the same clothes as he does. Thɪs chapter is updated by novel_fіre.net
"You do know, I’ve never actually been in a salt mine before," I gesture around, "Yet this smells and sounds real."
"It's all from your memories and imagination. I wouldn’t be surprised if it's fairly far off from reality," Whitey says as he sits on the ground.
I reply, "That's true. What do you think of my disciple?"
"She is just a half-demon," he snorts, "but her ego is bigger than some of the demons I’ve known. Just like her master."
"Was that a compliment?"
"Compliment your face against the wall."
"Her heart isn't all that strong, but it could certainly be worse. Supplementing her shortcomings with mana might help her, too."
"That's the goal. I don't think either of us will ever have a proper demonic kinetic heart capable of generating the output a proper demon could, but supplying it with mana should work. And what do you think of Velis?"
"How the fuck would I know? I’ve never met a truly powerful demon without a demon heart. He has demon eyes that are likely tied to one of the primordial energies out of the common five, but I have no idea what it is."
"That healing based on absorbing blood seemed nice."
"Your healer can already heal herself without needing to do something as convoluted as absorbing blood."
"That's true, but she might be a special case. I also suspect that Velis’s eyes might not be his only trait; he might have some kind of rare physique as well."
"Without a proper heart, he needs to grow very strong, or no demon will ever accept him. Hell, I knew some who would kill him right away while calling him a cripple."
"Personal experience?"
Whitey smirks, "What do you think? Funnily enough, no one called me that more than once."
He stands up in one smooth movement, "By the way, that fossil came here and spoke to me while you were with her and watching the disciple event."
Starting to stand up, I freeze mid movement and look up at Whitey.
He sees that reaction and smiles even more brightly, "I also didn't think she could come here without you present. Want to hear what we spoke about?"
"You fucker, I can see the curiosity killing you. A bit," he snorts.
Taking a few steps back, he puts some distance between us. "She came here to antagonize me, trying to make me push you more while pretending she was after something else. That bitch might think she can hide it, but she can't escape my senses. I saw it in her movements. And I know she thinks I have no chance. To her, I'm just a tool, not a person."
Kinetic energy rises around Whitey, his crippled heart generating more as his damaged body channels it. He uses this energy to move at all times, compensating for his injuries. I know this. I've learned a lot from his memories, our conversations, and our sparring matches.
And even though he’s not showing it, Whitey clearly dislikes the situation he’s been put in. There are only two choices left to him. He can either attempt to kill me and take over while relying on Lissandra to help him survive, or he can just disappear.
Nothing more, nothing less.
But as many times before, I say nothing.
I let kinetic energy build within me, charge at him, and let the fight wipe these thoughts from our minds.
After the fight, I open my eyes and glance down at the pajamas I'm wearing.
I shake my head and stand up to check myself in the mirror. Leaning in closer, I observe the reflection of my eyes and move a strand of hair from my face. Then I take a moment to breathe deeply, before teleporting into our living room.
The screams and noises hit me immediately like some sort of sonic attack.
Trying not to stick out too much, I move to my corner and quickly sit down, masking my mana, thermal, and kinetic signatures as much as possible. There is a young human boy to my left who has also taken refuge in my secluded little corner. He looks almost startled and fixes me with big brown eyes. He is very thin and his curly brown hair is messy.
"I’m guessing that Min-Jae is your master?" I ask quietly.
He nods twice and keeps quiet, making no attempt to continue the conversation.
Feeling more comfortable with a kindred soul, I cross my legs and observe the room.
Myrra is at the epicenter of everything. She and Maya are currently organizing a vicious, illegal minion fight club. It's all done over the table in the middle of the room where the little guys are being forced to fight for the amusement of group 4 and the golden eyed catgirl.
The minions are currently being forced to arm-wrestle.
Curiously, it is Maya who explains the rules and makes sure the minions do it properly so as not to get their bones snapped. Sophie has even created and strengthened the wooden table, and Myrra is organizing it all and setting up the matches, all while hyping up the contenders. There is even a nurse in the form of Lily, ready to heal any wounds that might occur, while Izzy and Min-Jae mess around in the background.
I notice most of the group members are engaged in some form of training. Min-Jae is making his body heavier, Izzy is moving the flames of her Fragment of Eternal Fire through her veins, and Sophie is training with the mana orbs I taught her to use, which are floating nearby. It's something I also do and continue to do, even as the world around me turns black for that split second before the system heals my wounds.
During the illegal minion fighting matches there is an incident where Deva uses more than one arm and complains about rules being set against her race; a part where my minion kicks Enan's shin under the table to gain a quick advantage; or a part where my minion gets into it and trash talks so much that Sophie has to stop her; or the incident where my minion breaks her own arm as she gets into an unorthodox position; or the part where my minio…
Enan and Vega seem to be the favorites thus far, given that they have somewhat similar physical stats, and while Vega focuses more on dexterity, Enan prefers to lean a bit more into his strength. Even Deva sometimes surprises me with unexpectedly decent body strengthening based on mana.
As I watch the sparring, I create a mana arm that is nearly invisible, made from as little mana as I can, and use it to sneakily take some food off the table.
I start nibbling on the snack from the bowl and even offer some to Min-Jae´s disciple, who carefully takes and slowly nibbles away beside me.
I nod in acknowledgement, and the pleasant conversation ends there.
After the arm-wrestling tournament, Maya and Myrra organize a few more illegal events. They move outside for tug-of-war; they do bottle flipping, which Myrra really seems to like for some reason; and at one point, they even have a potato sack race.
At first, I find myself thinking it might be a waste of time, focusing on all of this instead of more training, but after seeing the disciples so competitive and happy, I decide to let it go. They slowly relax and stop acting as cold toward one another. Even Irwys joins in after they keep trying to pull him in.
And of course, Izzy’s the one driving it all, and seems to have found a way to manipulate Myrra into doing her bidding. And it all hinges on a simple strategy: she just tells her about fun stuff, and Myrra, excited to try new things, does it without even seeming to think about it. But maybe, at least in part, Myrra does it for herself as well, to take her mind off things, the things bothering her.
As for Vega... well, even though she’s still competitive, she stays more distant than the other disciples. She smiles, but never too much. Even so, she competes to the end and doesn't cheat. Well, not much at least.
Slowly, though, our allotted time comes to an end, and the start of the third event draws closer. One hour before Vega is forced to return to her planet and the event begins, a notification pops up.
The 3rd event, Chronicle of the Past, will start in 1 hour!
Everyone will have the opportunity to engage in a 1v1 combat challenge with one being from the database of the Earth's tutorial: beings such as natives from the already completed floors.
Every participant will be given 1 challenge, so choose wisely!
Challenged beings will be Avatars, possessing no memories other than those required for combat. They will not possess emotions or the ability to talk, and have no motivations other than defeating the challenger.
Vega is still being held by Myrra and forced to pose for photos, and she even coerces her into cycling through the many sets of clothes I’ve given her. Myrra even goes through the pile I got and tries to find a matching set for herself to stage her photos.
I myself have barely escaped and now sit far away to the side when Lissandra appears nearby.
"Little pup, during…" She halts her words, and I follow her eyes, looking at my angry gecko pajamas, "Little pup, I have the person you will challenge during the 3rd event."
"Absolute Candidate Ruby."
"I see. Wasn't she still under level 300 when I met her on the 2nd floor?" I ask.
I still remember her class and the text I saw back then over her head.
[Phase Warden - lvl ??]
"Yes, but do not let that mislead you. She spent years honing herself under my guidance. If you go easy on her, Avatar, you will not get the chance to correct your mistake."
She turns to leave when Vega, who apparently made her way over at some point, calls out, "Master, is this the person who’s been bullying you?"
Lissandra halts and lets Vega step closer until they’re just an arm’s reach apart. Vega, wearing a daring expression, looks up at the silver-haired woman.
Her tiny heart pounds in her chest, but she refuses to let it show. She stares defiantly at Lissandra, holding her gaze even as she begins to tremble. Her heartbeat is like that of a frightened little bird, and though her hands shake, she clenches her fists and lifts her chin higher. Droplets of cold sweat run down her forehead.
With a quiet surge, Lissandra expands her presence and mana, letting it spread throughout the space. The weight of it presses against Vega, causing her to stumble back with a strained breath. Yet, she clenches her fists, plants her feet, and meets Lissandra's gaze once more.
Her heart races as if it’s about to explode, and tears well up in her eyes.
Then, after a few more seconds, Lissandra smiles and says, "Good."
With that, the pressure vanishes, and Lissandra along with it.
I catch Vega before she can collapse, then teleport us back to our training ground. Sitting down against a tree, I hold her trembling body as she starts sobbing, shaking from fear and the experience.
I don’t say anything and just let her feel that I’m here.
It takes a long time, but eventually, she calms down. Sniffling, she wipes her snotty nose on the sleeve of my angry gecko pajamas. Just this once, I let it slide, watching with equal parts amusement and disgust.
"I’ll get her next time," Vega whispers in an uncharacteristically quiet voice.
"You better hurry. I already called dibs on her."
"I will!" Vega grins at me and hugs me tighter, taking the opportunity to wipe her teary face on me again.
For the next few minutes, I give her some last-minute instructions and supplies I prepared. Nothing so powerful that it might slow her growth, but enough guidance and mana stones to help. Some of them might not be allowed to leave with her, but there’s nothing I can do about that.
There’s also plenty of clothes, Earth food, and other things I or Group 4 got through trading.
Finally, I extend a hand to her. "Now give me the things you stole."
Vega opens her mouth to protest, but, upon seeing my expression, gives up. There’s not a hint of shame, just disappointment at getting caught.
She hands over a small upper epic dagger that Dennis found on the 6th floor and seemed to like because it looked cool, a few orbs made of some kind of mysterious metal Min-Jae uses to train, a bracelet Maya wears sometimes, a beanie with a cute teddy bear Izzy got for herself, and a few more items.
Only when I have them all do I let go and glance at the last few seconds remaining.
"Hopefully, I’ll see you in a year, minion. So don’t go dying to some loser or weak-ass monster."
"I won’t! And if I do, it would be the coolest death ever!"
One last long hug, and I reach out, wiping away the last traces of tears from her face with the sleeve of my pajamas. "You were very brave."
"Yes!" she beams, opening her mouth to ask something.
But then she seems to realize something else and glances at me, then down to my pajamas, then at the sleeve I just used to wipe away her tears. Her eyes widen. "W-was… WAS THAT THE SLEEVE I–"
I interrupt, already feeling my lips twist in a smile. "Yes."
"Assho–" She doesn’t get to finish before disappearing and finally returning to her world.